The MMORPG RuneScape was hit with negative reviews on Steam after the developers introduced an unpopular battle pass. Now Jagex is rowing back and the community is cheering.
What’s been going on recently in RuneScape? The MMORPG presented a new battle pass on August 29, 2023. This “Hero Pass” went live on September 4th and was then scheduled to be renewed every 3 months. In addition to the rewards that can be unlocked for free, there should be a premium version with better rewards.
However, the pass was anything but well received by players: on Steam there were negative reviews for RuneScape, which had previously been rated extremely positively. Players who have been there for years criticized the direction the MMORPG was taking.
After developer Jagex initially half-heartedly announced that it would listen to player feedback, it apologized in a blog post on September 8th.
Runescape shows the Hero Pass: Underworld in the trailer
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Those responsible say: “We screwed up”
What does Jagex say? In the latest update, those responsible admitted that they had “screwed it up”. The introduction of the “Hero Pass” frustrated many in the community: “We made a significant misjudgment and we are sorry.”
It goes on to say that you have to think about it and learn from it. Jagex now wants to patch the game “urgently” to remove the unpopular Pay2Win features.
What’s next? First of all, the makers want to remove the particularly unpopular functions “as soon as possible”. Then you would have time to process the feedback in detail and redesign the “Hero Pass”.
In detail this means:
In addition, the “Daily Challenge” system, which was removed in favor of the “Hero Pass”, is to be brought back. The reintroduction is being worked on, but it could take a few weeks before the system goes live.
Those who have already purchased the pass can contact customer service for a refund.
Why not get rid of the “Hero Pass” entirely? Jagex gives three reasons for this:
Community praises Jagex for listening
How does the community react? They celebrate in a RuneScape subreddit under a post with the tag “Surpreme Victory”, in German: “outstanding victory.” In 999 comments (as of September 10, 2023, 3:45 p.m.) players are discussing Jagex’s reaction.
Jagex couldn’t calm everything down with his apology. For some players, the changes aren’t enough, while others note that the real problems are deeper than the Hero Pass. There needs to be a fundamental change in how such updates are introduced. (via Reddit).
Overall, the tone in the comments is rather positive. Players are happy that the RuneScape makers actually listen to their community and admit mistakes. It remains to be seen whether Jagex can really save the “Hero Pass”.
Others go one step further and abolish the system entirely:
Steam: DOTA 2 does without the Battle Pass – I would rather make the game better now